Professor Nabil Matar

Speaker:

Nabil Matar is Presidential Professor at the Departments of English and History, The Religious Studies Program at the University of Minnesota, USA. The history of medieval and early modern European writing about the Prophet Muhammad shows a consistent pattern of misunderstanding. Until the nineteenth century, only one writer challenged that history: the English physician Henry Stubbe (1632-1676). Neither an Orientalist not a theologian, Henry Stubbe approached Islam as a historian of religion, perhaps the first in early modern Europe, arguing that the study of another religion should rely on historical evidence derived from indigenous documents, and not on foreign accounts.


This lecture was jointly organised by:

• The Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS UK)
  
• HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge

The AMSS Building Bridges Award for 2012 was presented to Professor Nabil Matar at the lecture. Click here for award press release. Click here for event & award flyer. Click here for lecture booklet and programme. Click here for details of the award and photos of the event. Click here for article in Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper (arabic, external link).

Professor Jack Goody, KBE

Speaker:

Jack Goody is Emeritus William Wyse Professor of Social Anthropology at University of Cambridge and one of the world’s pre-eminent social scientists. He has authored man works including The Theft of History (2006 Cambridge University Press) in which Professor Goody builds on his own previous work to extend further his highly influential critique of what he sees as the pervasive eurocentric or occidentalist biases of so much western historical writing. Professor Goody's other works include: Capitalism and Modernity: The Great Debate (2004) and Islam in Europe (2004) in which he explores the historical relationship between the West and the Islamic world in the context of the events of 9/11. His latest work is Renaissances, The One or The Many? (2010) in which he “scrutinizes the European model in relation to parallel renaissances…primarily Islam and China, and emphasizes what Europe owed to non-European influences.”


This lecture was jointly organised by:

• The Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS UK)
  
• The Democracy and Islam Programme, Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster
  
• HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge

The AMSS Building Bridges Award for 2011 was presented to Professor Jack Goody at the lecture. Click here for details of the award and photos of the event. Click here for lecture programme. Click here for award press release.Click here for article on Professor Goody's award (external link to Asharq Alawsat). Click here for review of Professor Goody's book Theft of History (external link to Asharq Alawsat).

The phenomenon of globalisation has unleashed unprecedented forces in the spheres of politics, culture, economics, science and technology, and international relations. First and foremost, the evolution of the nation-state and its institutions as the most dominant dynamic in global politics and economics – and with national and international security as its overriding interest or motive – poses a major challenge to faith communities around the world. Second, dynamics such as the homogenisation of culture, the operation of market forces and the continuous advent and proliferation of new technologies, particularly in the sphere of communication, have created a new form of consumerism that is global in scope, with its own logic of operation and its own secularised value system. These unprecedented dynamics pose multifaceted challenges to faith communities around the world, and arguably, to the future of faith in a new, globalised world. This conference was set up to address these challenges.

This conference was organised by:

• The Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS UK)
  
• The Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo
  
• The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)
  
  

• The HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge
  
• The Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster
  
• The Center for Advanced Studies in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  
• The Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding, Georgetown University

3rd Zaki Badawi Annual Memorial Lecture

The Annual Zaki Badawi Memorial Lecture was established by the AMSS in honour of the life and work of Sheikh Zaki Badawi, OBE, KBE, and in recognition of his noted public contribution in championing the vital role of religious faith and values in the life of the nation. The lecture series is dedicated to Dr Badawi's vision to foster pluralism, inter-faith dialogue, inter-cultural understanding, and social cohesion.

Martin Rose, the Director of the British Council's 'Our Shared Europe Project', presented the third annual Zaki Badawi Memorial Lecture, entitled 'A Shared Past for a Shared Future'.

The 2009 AMSS (UK) Building Bridges Award was jointly presented during the event to the British Council's 'Our Shared Europe' project and 1001 Inventions.

This lecture was organised by AMSS UK in cooperation with The British Council, The Centre For The Study Of Democracy (University of Westminster), and The City Circle.

Click here for Lecture Programme (pdf)

Click here for photos of Memorial Lecture & Awards event
Click here for photos of British Council event

Muslim Youth: Challenges, Opportunities & Expectations

Many Muslim societies display a 'youth bulge' where more than half of their population are under the age of 25. An increasingly globalised western culture is rapidly eroding traditional ideas about society, worsened by a rise in materialism leading to the demoralisation caused by the resulting spiritual emptiness. Young Muslims have to face these challenges and also face the growing sense of alienation, resulting from these competing ideologies and divergent lifestyles. The optimism of young Muslims is best nurtured in an environment of opportunity where ambitions and aspirations are attainable, in an atmosphere of equality and inclusivity. This conference seeks to discuss the central issues currently facing young Muslims both locally and globally; and to engage with academics, educationalists, social commentators, psychologists, etc.

The AMSS UK and the University of Chester jointly organised a conference on Muslim Youth: Challenges, Opportunities & Expectations. The conference was held at the University of Chester, Chester, UK on 20-22 March 2009. More information on the conference themes, programme, sessions and lectures can be found in the Conference Briefing.

Click here for Conference Briefing (pdf)

Click here for photos of event

2nd Zaki Badawi Annual Memorial Lecture

The Politics of Islam(ism)

Zaki Badawi Annual Memorial Lecture

Citizenship, Security & Democracy

Methodology Course 2005-2006

Islam in Higher Education

This conference set out to bring together a diverse cross section of individuals and organisations concerned with the challenges facing Islam in higher education (HE). It seeks to make a positive contribution to discourse and policies on Islam in higher education in the UK, through critical analysis and dialogue on broad ranging issues including: the status of the study of Islam in higher education; access, employability, recruitment and participation; academic standard & pedagogy; and the depiction of Islam and Muslims in higher education: comparative international approaches to Islam in higher education.

This conference was organised by the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS) - UK, the Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations (CSIC) - Birmingham University, and the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies - UK. This was held on 29th-30th January 2005 at the University of Birmingham, Selly Oak, Birmingham, UK.

Download Professor Tamara Sonn's paper (PDF).

Click here for conference booklet

Click here for conference review (AMSS UK Newsletter 7)

Click here to read a report on the conference (external link)

AMSS (UK) Fifth Annual Conference: Fiqh Today: Muslims as Minorities

AMSS (UK) Fourth Annual Conference: Muslim Education in Europe

This conference sets out to co-ordinate and exchange the expertise and experiences of European Muslims in monitoring, analysing and assessing the state of education as it impinges on Muslims. In doing so, it seeks to develop an educational rationale which is capable of meeting the needs of the Muslim presence in the West.

Click here for conference booklet

Click here for conference review (AMSS UK Newsletter 6)

AMSS (UK) Third Annual Conference: Unity & Diversity: Islam Muslims and the Challenges of Pluralism

AMSS (UK) Second Annual Conference: Social Responsibility: Challenges for the Future

Muslims of Europe in the New Millennium: Multiculturalism, Identity and Citizenship

AMSS (UK) First Annual Conference